This spring I started up the engine and noticed that my house batteries will not charge from the engine alternator. I have eliminated the alternator as a problem as it is charging the house battery, but somehow that power isn’t reaching or charging the house batteries through the Victron systems. I have been able to trace 14v all the way through the system so I don’t believe it’s a connection or fuse issue, but I have not checked the large fuses in the lynx as they are in a difficult to access spot. The 1amp fuses from the battery to the BMV seem to be fine and I have no issues charging from the generator - just seems to be an issue from the alternator. The attached schematic is roughly what I have installed, but I have no solar and no smart lynx distributer or shunt, just the distributer. Where else can I look?
Victron system schematic (2).pdf (2.0 MB)
If your house batteries are at 14V, this indicates full charge…
To check this, you need to run the house bank down to 12v, and /or put a good load on the house system, then check the charging again, preferably with a clamp ammeter.
Start at the alternator, then the input to the Orion dc/dc - if you have these, then to the output of the dc/dc.etc. With a load on the ouse bank, it should be obvious where the charging stops, through voltage measurements and or current measurements.
Just tried this and found that the battery alternator seems to be charging through the whole system up to the inverter at least. And looking through the Bluetooth app the chargers are active and outputting the same voltage as generated by the alternator, but the BMV is showing just discharge and the battery voltage drops over time. I guess this means it’s isolated to the inverter or the Lynx? I’m not so sure where to go from there though as the inverter seems tricky to get a view of what’s really happening inside…
Check the fuses, circuit breakers , connections and wiring to your inverter and battery.
If the MPPTs deliver and the bmv doesn’t receive…you’re losing it in between…
OK, so here there is a conflict between the schematic diagram you indicated, and your statement about the BMV.
If we assume that the BMV is wired correctly to the house bank, and the load terminal then connects to the negative busbar:
Do you have the smart battery protect indicated in the schematic?
If the Alternator is providing power through the orions, and to the battery terminals of the inverter - you say no solar- then the fault has to be between the inverter and the battery, as stated by Ludo above.
Check the Battery terminal voltage with a multimeter, and if you have a dc clamp ammeter, check the battery current.
You can also measure for any volt drop between the Battery positive and the positive busbar, also the battery negative and the negative busbar.
Make sure that the battery terminals are clean and tight, any corrosion here will cause problems.
Interesting and that all makes sense. I haven’t had a chance yet to check all of those voltages yet, but because the batteries charge normally from shore power I know that it is possible for power to go though the inverter to the batteries so that had me stumped. I did notice today that while running the engine the inverter stays just on “inverting” and doesn’t click over to bulk even though the Orions are bulk charging. What could be causing that? When I’m connected to shore power all the charging lights do come on on the inverter.
The inverter converts ac to dc to charge the batteries OR it converts dc from the batteries to power the ac system when shorepower is off. If ot says inverting then shorepower is disconnected so the inverter can not go to bulk.
Is your BMV connected correctly, a diagram of your actual system would be better.
Interesting.. As far as the wiring I believe it should be correct for the BMV, but I will put together a diagram. I guess the condition that was working and true before that is no longer working is that I would be able to run the boat out and about away from the dock and the batteries would charge to 100% and at the same time I would be able to also draw AC house loads from the battery. What would cause that to suddenly not work that way anymore?
A broken wire, loose connection burned fuse ?
The inverter will only charge the batteries from AC input - either shore power or genset. Not from the engine alternator, when it will stay in invert mode. That’s why the orions are there to charge from the alternator.